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Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Competitors

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$111.26 -0.12 (-0.11%)
As of 03:51 PM Eastern
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MRK vs. AMGN, GILD, MRNA, VRTX, and ABBV

Should you be buying Merck & Co., Inc. stock or one of its competitors? The main competitors of Merck & Co., Inc. include Amgen (AMGN), Gilead Sciences (GILD), Moderna (MRNA), Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX), and AbbVie (ABBV). These companies are all part of the "medical" sector.

How does Merck & Co., Inc. compare to Amgen?

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) and Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, media sentiment, dividends, risk, valuation, earnings and institutional ownership.

Merck & Co., Inc. has a beta of 0.18, meaning that its share price is 82% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Amgen has a beta of 0.44, meaning that its share price is 56% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Amgen has a net margin of 20.96% compared to Merck & Co., Inc.'s net margin of 13.59%. Amgen's return on equity of 137.41% beat Merck & Co., Inc.'s return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Merck & Co., Inc.13.59% 27.55% 10.73%
Amgen 20.96%137.41%13.28%

Merck & Co., Inc. pays an annual dividend of $3.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.1%. Amgen pays an annual dividend of $10.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.1%. Merck & Co., Inc. pays out 95.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Amgen pays out 70.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Merck & Co., Inc. has raised its dividend for 14 consecutive years and Amgen has raised its dividend for 14 consecutive years. Amgen is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

In the previous week, Merck & Co., Inc. had 11 more articles in the media than Amgen. MarketBeat recorded 54 mentions for Merck & Co., Inc. and 43 mentions for Amgen. Merck & Co., Inc.'s average media sentiment score of 1.13 beat Amgen's score of 0.89 indicating that Merck & Co., Inc. is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Merck & Co., Inc.
39 Very Positive mention(s)
6 Positive mention(s)
3 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
3 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Amgen
27 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
9 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Merck & Co., Inc. has higher revenue and earnings than Amgen. Amgen is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Merck & Co., Inc., indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Merck & Co., Inc.$65.77B4.18$18.25B$3.5531.34
Amgen$37.22B4.77$7.71B$14.3722.89

76.1% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 76.5% of Amgen shares are held by institutional investors. 0.2% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.9% of Amgen shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus target price of $128.18, suggesting a potential upside of 15.20%. Amgen has a consensus target price of $357.12, suggesting a potential upside of 8.55%. Given Merck & Co., Inc.'s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Merck & Co., Inc. is more favorable than Amgen.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Merck & Co., Inc.
0 Sell rating(s)
7 Hold rating(s)
11 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.68
Amgen
2 Sell rating(s)
14 Hold rating(s)
13 Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.48

Summary

Amgen beats Merck & Co., Inc. on 12 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Merck & Co., Inc. compare to Gilead Sciences?

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) and Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, media sentiment, valuation, earnings, dividends, institutional ownership, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Gilead Sciences presently has a consensus target price of $157.04, indicating a potential upside of 17.50%. Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus target price of $128.18, indicating a potential upside of 15.20%. Given Gilead Sciences' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe Gilead Sciences is more favorable than Merck & Co., Inc..

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Gilead Sciences
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
24 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.86
Merck & Co., Inc.
0 Sell rating(s)
7 Hold rating(s)
11 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.68

Gilead Sciences pays an annual dividend of $3.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.5%. Merck & Co., Inc. pays an annual dividend of $3.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.1%. Gilead Sciences pays out 44.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Merck & Co., Inc. pays out 95.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Gilead Sciences has raised its dividend for 10 consecutive years and Merck & Co., Inc. has raised its dividend for 14 consecutive years. Merck & Co., Inc. is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

83.7% of Gilead Sciences shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 76.1% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.3% of Gilead Sciences shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Gilead Sciences has a net margin of 30.99% compared to Merck & Co., Inc.'s net margin of 13.59%. Gilead Sciences' return on equity of 48.19% beat Merck & Co., Inc.'s return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Gilead Sciences30.99% 48.19% 18.28%
Merck & Co., Inc. 13.59%27.55%10.73%

In the previous week, Gilead Sciences had 18 more articles in the media than Merck & Co., Inc.. MarketBeat recorded 72 mentions for Gilead Sciences and 54 mentions for Merck & Co., Inc.. Merck & Co., Inc.'s average media sentiment score of 1.13 beat Gilead Sciences' score of 0.68 indicating that Merck & Co., Inc. is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Gilead Sciences
31 Very Positive mention(s)
11 Positive mention(s)
8 Neutral mention(s)
12 Negative mention(s)
2 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Merck & Co., Inc.
39 Very Positive mention(s)
6 Positive mention(s)
3 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
3 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Merck & Co., Inc. has higher revenue and earnings than Gilead Sciences. Gilead Sciences is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Merck & Co., Inc., indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Gilead Sciences$29.74B5.58$8.51B$7.3418.21
Merck & Co., Inc.$65.77B4.18$18.25B$3.5531.34

Gilead Sciences has a beta of 0.31, indicating that its share price is 69% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Merck & Co., Inc. has a beta of 0.18, indicating that its share price is 82% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Gilead Sciences beats Merck & Co., Inc. on 13 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Merck & Co., Inc. compare to Moderna?

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) and Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, earnings, valuation, profitability, dividends, media sentiment and institutional ownership.

Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus target price of $128.18, indicating a potential upside of 15.20%. Moderna has a consensus target price of $35.73, indicating a potential downside of 31.72%. Given Merck & Co., Inc.'s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Merck & Co., Inc. is more favorable than Moderna.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Merck & Co., Inc.
0 Sell rating(s)
7 Hold rating(s)
11 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.68
Moderna
5 Sell rating(s)
12 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.84

Merck & Co., Inc. has a beta of 0.18, indicating that its share price is 82% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Moderna has a beta of 1.05, indicating that its share price is 5% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Merck & Co., Inc. has higher revenue and earnings than Moderna. Moderna is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Merck & Co., Inc., indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Merck & Co., Inc.$65.77B4.18$18.25B$3.5531.34
Moderna$2.20B9.42-$2.82B-$8.15N/A

Merck & Co., Inc. has a net margin of 13.59% compared to Moderna's net margin of -143.55%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s return on equity of 27.55% beat Moderna's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Merck & Co., Inc.13.59% 27.55% 10.73%
Moderna -143.55%-26.64%-19.32%

76.1% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 75.3% of Moderna shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.2% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 10.8% of Moderna shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

In the previous week, Merck & Co., Inc. had 10 more articles in the media than Moderna. MarketBeat recorded 54 mentions for Merck & Co., Inc. and 44 mentions for Moderna. Merck & Co., Inc.'s average media sentiment score of 1.13 beat Moderna's score of 0.52 indicating that Merck & Co., Inc. is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Merck & Co., Inc.
39 Very Positive mention(s)
6 Positive mention(s)
3 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
3 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Moderna
20 Very Positive mention(s)
9 Positive mention(s)
5 Neutral mention(s)
3 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Summary

Merck & Co., Inc. beats Moderna on 14 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Merck & Co., Inc. compare to Vertex Pharmaceuticals?

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) and Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, earnings, valuation, profitability, dividends, media sentiment and institutional ownership.

Merck & Co., Inc. has a beta of 0.18, indicating that its share price is 82% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a beta of 0.3, indicating that its share price is 70% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus target price of $128.18, indicating a potential upside of 15.20%. Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a consensus target price of $555.17, indicating a potential upside of 27.50%. Given Vertex Pharmaceuticals' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Vertex Pharmaceuticals is more favorable than Merck & Co., Inc..

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Merck & Co., Inc.
0 Sell rating(s)
7 Hold rating(s)
11 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.68
Vertex Pharmaceuticals
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
20 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.85

Merck & Co., Inc. has higher revenue and earnings than Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Vertex Pharmaceuticals is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Merck & Co., Inc., indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Merck & Co., Inc.$65.77B4.18$18.25B$3.5531.34
Vertex Pharmaceuticals$12.00B9.21$3.95B$16.8625.83

Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a net margin of 35.51% compared to Merck & Co., Inc.'s net margin of 13.59%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s return on equity of 27.55% beat Vertex Pharmaceuticals' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Merck & Co., Inc.13.59% 27.55% 10.73%
Vertex Pharmaceuticals 35.51%23.86%17.13%

In the previous week, Vertex Pharmaceuticals had 3 more articles in the media than Merck & Co., Inc.. MarketBeat recorded 57 mentions for Vertex Pharmaceuticals and 54 mentions for Merck & Co., Inc.. Merck & Co., Inc.'s average media sentiment score of 1.13 beat Vertex Pharmaceuticals' score of 0.88 indicating that Merck & Co., Inc. is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Merck & Co., Inc.
39 Very Positive mention(s)
6 Positive mention(s)
3 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
3 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Vertex Pharmaceuticals
30 Very Positive mention(s)
7 Positive mention(s)
14 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

76.1% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 91.0% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.2% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Vertex Pharmaceuticals beats Merck & Co., Inc. on 11 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Merck & Co., Inc. compare to AbbVie?

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) and AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, profitability, media sentiment, institutional ownership, dividends, valuation and risk.

Merck & Co., Inc. has a beta of 0.18, meaning that its stock price is 82% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, AbbVie has a beta of 0.32, meaning that its stock price is 68% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Merck & Co., Inc. pays an annual dividend of $3.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.1%. AbbVie pays an annual dividend of $6.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.4%. Merck & Co., Inc. pays out 95.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. AbbVie pays out 340.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Merck & Co., Inc. has increased its dividend for 14 consecutive years and AbbVie has increased its dividend for 53 consecutive years. AbbVie is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus target price of $128.18, indicating a potential upside of 15.20%. AbbVie has a consensus target price of $252.90, indicating a potential upside of 24.78%. Given AbbVie's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe AbbVie is more favorable than Merck & Co., Inc..

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Merck & Co., Inc.
0 Sell rating(s)
7 Hold rating(s)
11 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.68
AbbVie
0 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
16 Buy rating(s)
3 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.88

Merck & Co., Inc. has higher revenue and earnings than AbbVie. Merck & Co., Inc. is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than AbbVie, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Merck & Co., Inc.$65.77B4.18$18.25B$3.5531.34
AbbVie$62.82B5.70$4.23B$2.0399.84

Merck & Co., Inc. has a net margin of 13.59% compared to AbbVie's net margin of 5.79%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s return on equity of 27.55% beat AbbVie's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Merck & Co., Inc.13.59% 27.55% 10.73%
AbbVie 5.79%-911.57%13.43%

In the previous week, AbbVie had 7 more articles in the media than Merck & Co., Inc.. MarketBeat recorded 61 mentions for AbbVie and 54 mentions for Merck & Co., Inc.. AbbVie's average media sentiment score of 1.16 beat Merck & Co., Inc.'s score of 1.13 indicating that AbbVie is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Merck & Co., Inc.
39 Very Positive mention(s)
6 Positive mention(s)
3 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
3 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
AbbVie
42 Very Positive mention(s)
4 Positive mention(s)
11 Neutral mention(s)
2 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

76.1% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 70.2% of AbbVie shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.2% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of AbbVie shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

AbbVie beats Merck & Co., Inc. on 12 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding MRK and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.
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Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NYSE and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.
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MRK vs. The Competition

MetricMerck & Co., Inc.Large Cap Pharma IndustryMedical SectorNYSE Exchange
Market Cap$274.54B$289.54B$6.18B$22.92B
Dividend Yield3.03%2.83%2.78%4.02%
P/E Ratio31.3125.8320.7129.03
Price / Sales4.184.77527.5224.74
Price / Cash9.7512.3327.8119.21
Price / Book5.247.299.804.66
Net Income$18.25B$11.61B$3.54B$1.07B
7 Day PerformanceN/AN/AN/A-1.09%
1 Month Performance-8.36%-1.88%6.48%4.17%
1 Year Performance46.63%22.84%42.26%29.27%

Merck & Co., Inc. Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
MRK
Merck & Co., Inc.
4.7674 of 5 stars
$111.26
-0.1%
$128.18
+15.2%
+46.6%$274.54B$65.77B31.3175,000
AMGN
Amgen
4.3839 of 5 stars
$324.71
-1.6%
$357.12
+10.0%
+24.8%$175.27B$36.75B22.6031,500
GILD
Gilead Sciences
4.6754 of 5 stars
$132.55
+0.7%
$157.35
+18.7%
+35.6%$164.69B$29.44B19.6017,000
MRNA
Moderna
1.341 of 5 stars
$47.34
+4.4%
$34.60
-26.9%
+124.1%$18.69B$1.94BN/A4,700
VRTX
Vertex Pharmaceuticals
4.3713 of 5 stars
$428.04
+1.0%
$554.83
+29.6%
+1.1%$108.90B$12.00B27.936,400

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This page (NYSE:MRK) was last updated on 5/11/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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